


Icicle

by Beakaboochu



Series: An Artists Love [2]
Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Ghost Jack, M/M, Mentions of attempted suicide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-05
Updated: 2016-09-20
Packaged: 2018-03-05 14:28:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 16,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3123536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beakaboochu/pseuds/Beakaboochu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack's dead. Kinda... It's... complicated. And while Jack freaks out here comes the clue hammer aiming at one artist.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ghost

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome back! As I promised here is the next story! For those of you just tuning in you may want to read part one... But other then that! Enjoy!
> 
> Comments are very welcome and keep me typing up chapters so this does in fact update every Monday :)

Jack Frost kicked his legs as he sat on a tree branch, over looking a wide expanse of snow. He looked around, confused as to where he was or how he had gotten here.

 

Sound slowly came up from below, vision following soon after.

 

“No… please… Jack… please… I am so sorry… please come back. That’s… That’s too sneaky… you say something like that… and then just.. leave… you just leave me before I could even answer… you’re sly. You have-- have to wake up… please Jackie… wake up. Come back!”

 

Jack looked down on the scene playing out, making out the details of the burned out trees, of the three fates watching the scene emotionless as the snowy scene dissolved completely to make way for the world he knew.

 

Even as he watched, the other Guardians, his family, shook themselves out of the despair that overtook each of their souls, each one looking up to glare at the sisters.

 

Bunny gently lowered his.. his body?! down to the ground, making sure not to jostle him any more than need be.

 

The Easter being rose to his feet, slowly picking up his fallen weapon as he did so.

 

Each one of his family members stepped forward, raising their weapons into fighting position, but before any one of the guardians could move, the sisters faded back into the order of the world.

 

Bunny lunged to where the sisters had once been, but only hit empty air.

 

Jack watched as each one of his family members and his love seemed to deflate… as if they just lost all of their will.

 

His amazement grew as Bunnymund turned back to his body, ( _how crazy is that?! Shoving that until later, yes later, where a blizzard could happen without harming anyone.. if he still could make one.. later! Yes. Later_ ) watched as the Kangaroo lifted his body bridal style, clutching it close to his chest.

 

Jack’s amazement grew when the silly rabbit bent his head over the lifeless corpse and cried, his entire body shaking with his despair. All the others gathered around either holding one of his cold hands or touching an arm, each one grieving in their very own way, all sobbing quietly, or in Sandy’s case, silently shaking.

 

Jack leaned down, opening his mouth to shout to his family that he was alright!

 

That he was not dead.

 

But nothing came out.

 

No squeak, no groan, no sound.

 

Jack clutched at his throat in distress, watching his family breakdown as Bunny lowered himself to the ground in a crouch, still holding Jacks body, sobbing over it, “Jack shouldna done that… he was supposed to be safe… we… _I_ have lost him now…”

 

Jack whipped his head around, staring at Bunny, hearing the correction. His eyes widened at the possible implications.

 

His hope rose just a small bit.

 

Bunny’s nose twitched and he glanced down at Jack’s body… sensing…. **hope** coming from it… But… that’s not possible… is it?

 

Jack noticed the twitch, his hope changing to a new one.

 

_Perhaps they could sense me through their cores?_

 

Jack tried everything to get let his family know he was still there through the strongest magic they had.

 

He tried remembering all the fun times they had in order to get Tooth's attention. All the times he went to her palace to simply chat with her and Baby Tooth. He brought up the memories of the night they all collected teeth together. When those didn’t work, he switched to remembering his own human memories. Thinking of his wonderful dear sister, all the times he teased and played with her. He thought of his mom and the times he helped her cook. He thought about any memory he could from his human life, but nothing, not even a twitch from Toothiana.

 

When memories did not work he tried wonder. He tried seeing the wonder in the landscape of all things but… he couldn’t. He couldn’t even see the joy in what was around him, not when his family was in such despair and he could do nothing to help them!

  


As for dreams? Well the only way he could see that happening right now was if Sandy himself doused him with dreamsand!

 

Jacks panic rose as North gently helped Bunny to his feet murmuring, “Come old friend, ve must be back at workshop to give proper… proper burial.”

 

Tooth let out a louder sob and got up as well. Sandy’s glow was almost nonexistent, his own way of showing his heavy grief.

 

Jack’s hope died as he watched his family slowly proceed toward the sleigh.

 

Bunny flinched at the sudden feeling of hope dying impossibly from, once again, Jack’s body.

 

He shook his head and climbed into the sleigh, holding the boy’s body close.

 

Bunny gazed down at the boy’s form… thinking.

 

Jack loved him.

 

Him.

 

A broken, grumpy old Pooka.

 

_“If only I had not been so blind… but he was a brother… but North is a brother and he never made me feel warm…. oh I don’t know! Why did he have to say it at the end! Why couldn't he have said it in time for me to make a decision so that maybe just maybe… but if I am really thinking that it could have happened… doesn't that mean...”_

 

Bunny buried his face in Jacks chest drowning out all the thoughts with Jack’s scent.

 

He murmured a very soft, “Forever and Always”

 

Jack faltered in the air when he heard Bunny’s words, his hope glowing bright and warm.

 

Bunny’s head shot up just as Jack got distracted from his attempts at getting attention by his own faltering having to concentrate on leveling out once again to keep up with the sleigh.

 

Bunny looked over to the outside of the sleigh and… saw a shimmer. Such a faint shimmer but… something… something following the sleigh.

 

The Easter being shook his head, chalking it up to his grief and his realization of what a fool he was with his own emotions.

 

Jack, unaware of the rabbits thoughts, leveled off his flight and continued to fly alongside the sleigh, trying everything he could think of in order to get the Guardians’ attentions.

 

He sent snowflakes their way, when he found that yes he still had all his powers he just... could not be seen. He shifted the wind just a little bit to ruffle fur, feather, hair and sand but nothing, nothing, would get them to notice him!

 

In a last ditch effort, he tried bringing back that hope that had made Bunny’s nose twitch.

 

But Bunny did not do anything, no twitch, no gasp. Once again, nothing!

 

The winter spirit’s panic began to climb slowly in his chest.

 

_I don’t want to be invisible again, I can’t do that. I can’t!_

_Please see me._

_See me!_

_Please…_


	2. Tricksters return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys this is the last week before my last semester. I will be graduating with an Associates degree in Forensic Science so it's an important time for me. Heads up before classes start, if I do not update on Monday someone shoot me a message because I either forgot or I am in the middle of editing and fell behind because of classes. Just warning you guys first :)
> 
> Comments are always welcome and help me write more chapters. Also if there is anything that you think needs improving I always welcome those as well. 
> 
> Enjoy! :)

Jack landed in the Workshop, slumping against the wall; the only thing he could hear was his own loud thoughts.

 

His voice would still not come out.

 

_Why was that? Was it because he really was dead? Why? Was it… could it have been possible… could it have been a **price**? But if there was a price… then there was results… what were they?_

 

Jack was jerked out of his thoughts when he realized that even the workshop was quiet.

 

Not a sound.

 

No jingling bells, no growlings of yetis hard at work. Not even the toys that would normally wizz about were seen or heard.

 

Just dead silence

 

Jack followed the Guardians to the globe room, still confused at the lack of sound in Santa’s workshop of all places… he saw the yetis and elves were standing around his very own picture in the floor and got his answer. It was of him standing in the middle of a snowflake, looking as cocky as ever and yet seeming like he was having the time of his life. But now that picture just looked sad with everyone around it, candles stationed, but not lit at each point of the snowflake.

 

Looking the same as the day they thought Sandy was…

 

Jack flew to the middle of the image trying to shout.

 

_I am not dead!! I am right here! Why can you not hear me?!_

 

But still nothing came out.

 

No sound.

 

Jack began crying softly, so so worried that he will be back to being invisible but this time… even to his artist.

 

That can’t happen, it just can’t!

 

He flew in front of Phil, the only yeti that he had a kind of friendship with, trying to grab his attention. But Phil had no magic, he was simply one of the worker yetis, head of security yeti yes, but still just a yeti without magic or anything that would help him sense Jack.

 

He tried waving at the elves, but still the same result.

 

Finally he just… couldn’t anymore.

 

Jack floated to the nearest pillar and slumped down to the floor, drawing his knees up until he could rest his head and give into a good old-fashion cry.

 

This was even worse than before…

 

No one saw him.

 

It was not just that Bunny, his artist, his love, did not pay attention, it was everyone.

 

He was known by all those around him, but no one could hear him, see him… maybe… what if he tried touching them? Maybe they could feel him?

 

He winced, but did not look up when North began speaking, his voice breaking “We need to begin...begin preparations for our boyz... funeral… vhere….vhere to… to bury him and vhat we should do after that…”

 

Bunny’s ears folded back against his head while shaking it. “He can’t be North, he can’t! Manny wouldn’a ‘ave let it happen and stay permanent! He wouldn’… Jackie… Snowflake has to be alive North! He has to….”

 

Bunny pressed his nose into the winter spirits neck murmuring a soft, “Forever and Always… tha’s what ya said… so give me that… please….”

 

The Guardians looked at Bunny, shock written on all their faces, while Jack… Jack was too depressed, too deep in his own thoughts to not hear the murmured words. Snowflakes slowly taking form, his own art once again showing his feelings with pictures of lone winter spirit in a vast world. What would happen if they buried his body? Would he finally fade as well? What if he was buried alive, stuck in some coffin? What if… what if...

 

“Well now, what is with all the sad faces hmm?”

 

Jack opened his eyes and looked up to see Coyote and Reynardine entering the room.

 

“Now why would Jack be sleeping so… peacefully in his dear Pooka’s arms? Unless…”

 

Coyote cackled almost falling over in his mirth, “Unless he overheated with embarrassment in his lover's arms!!”

 

Reynardine approached Jacks empty body sniffing at it, tilting his head in confusion.

 

“Dear brother, I do believe our dear little winter brother is not in possession of his own body.”

 

Coyote stopped cackling and proceeded over to sniff at the body himself when it was jerked away from him by a very upset Easter being.

 

“What are ya tricksters doin here? And how did you know Jack…”

 

“Felt that way for you?” Reynardine scratched his ears with an air of disinterest.“He is our little trickster brother, one of our favorites in fact. Which is why we know so much about him.”

 

“Also,” Coyote popped in draping himself over Norths bulky body, “we came here to tell him we were wrong about the serpent warning him about the fates! It meant something totally different than what we thought!”

 

The Guardians looked ready for murder.

 

North grabbed Coyote by what scruff he had and held him aloft, “He could have stayed safe except you got message wrong?!”

 

Coyote stopped grinning, titling his head to the side.

 

“Now what could you mean in-laws?”

 

Reynardine stepped forward to his brother as North sputtered, nudging what he could reach while still staying on the ground.

 

“They mean that Jack was killed by the Fates.”

 

Coyote twisted his neck until his head was unnaturally turned to look behind him and down to his brother. “Oh the fates killed him, well then he shall be fine! That was what we came to tell him to do anyways!”

 

Bunny looked as if he would have killed the tricksters if he was not holding onto Jack’s body.

 

“You were about to _tell_ him to die? You were going to deliver him? WHAT KIND OF BROTHERS ARE YOU TO WANT TO KILL YOURS?!”

 

Reynardine looked back with hackles raised in challenge, “And what kind of bringer of Hope are you when you could not feel his own hope regarding you?”

 

Bunny winced and looked very much beaten by those words alone. Looking down at the body whispering, “Why would I look for hope when I had no idea it was even possible? I thought…. I thought because he was human… brother was the best I could get… How could I have known to look for more…”

 

Fat tears rolled down the mourning Pookas face as he shook with grief.

 

Jack stepped away from the pillar, reaching out to his artist, his snowflakes changing to those of love and comfort.

 

Both tricksters turned to immediately look at him.

 

“Well now, look at that. Seems we were right. How is our little winter brother doing between worlds?”

 

 


	3. Trickster brothers to the rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alight, here is where the chapter updates may slow down just a tad bit, if that happens shoot me a message and I will see what I can do! And thank goodness for my very good friend, she is not part of this fandom but she is a fantastic writer, and she has agreed to take a look at and edit my chapters! Yay for best friends! So hopefully any rockiness from Snowflake will be caught and fixed :)
> 
> Comments are highly welcome and loved :)

Jack staggered back in shock just as the Guardians quickly looked over to where the tricksters were talking to, but all they saw was an empty space next to a pillar.

 

The frost child looked between his trickster brothers and his Guardian family, hoping that some how, someway this was real. That he wouldn’t have to be alone, that he will be seen.

 

Bunny’s nose twitched as he felt a burst of hope from the same spot they were all staring at.

 

Jack noticed the twitch and grinned, feeling joy bubble up from inside of him, his hope rising into a bright fire in his chest.

 

_I won’t have to be alone! They see me now! They see me! I bet it’s because these two were gods at one point. That has to be it, they saved me!_

 

Jack approached his brothers trying to speak, but once again nothing came out.

 

_Well…. if they can see me they must know how to fix that as well._

_Right?_

The brothers looked at each other then back at their own little brother, “Well now… it looks like there were in fact some… side effects to correcting the balance.”

 

Jacks hope dwindled a little at that, if there was a balance there was a price… if there was a price… it’s that stupid exchange clause. He lowered his head, letting a shiver of fear pass through him for what the balance implied.

 

Reynardine approached Jack sniffing at him in concern as he spoke. “Perhaps we can figure out how to fix that later, though first we have to get you back to this side of life. Being in the middle will make things more painful for you… as I can see. No one will be able to see you unless they themselves can travel between the two.”

 

_So the Guardians can’t really see me… They were just looking where Rey and Coyote were looking..._

Jack hung his head, his whole body shaking once again, before reaching forward to grip Reynardine fur in hopes of gaining comfort.

 

Only to find his hand passing right through the wolves body, both shivering from the contact.

 

Reynardine looked even more troubled as he looked at Jack and understood that this may be a little worse than he had once thought.

 

Jack silently whimpered in despair, looking at his brother with wide, desperate eyes who in turn gained a look of determination. Reynardine’s eyes glowed brightly until his own body shined as brightly as Sandy’s own sand. He then rubbed his face on Jack’s arm in the comfort that he knew his little winter trickster needed.

 

Jack looked like a wish had been granted and hugged Reynardine tightly, burying his face into the wolves scruff. But the glow began to fade and Jack scrambled back before he went through Rey’s body again.

 

Before either could react more to the touch Sandy floated forward, squinting at the space Jack stood, then began to throw up signs looking towards Reynardine suggesting he try putting his sand on Jack. His own sand being one of the few elements that could go back and forth between the two worlds of dreaming and the “living”.

 

Reynardine tilted his head thoughtfully and nodded, “That could work. It may also be possible to touch if he is the one covered with the substance. Go ahead and try it, we can experiment before we leave.”

 

And so Sandy pulled up his sleeves and sprinkled dream sand all over Jack causing the boy to sneeze all the sand off. But not before all beings in the room could see the shape in the corner, in the shape of their own dear Jack Frost.

 

Tooth gasped and sped forward to right where Jack was standing, in fact standing _in_ Jack causing poor Jack to double over in pain, staggering away from Toothiana to get away from the horrible feeling.

 

Coyote cooed and slithered his way out of Norths grip to stand behind his little brother, his own body glowing in order to catch the young spirit until he could stand on his own.

 

“Now little brother, it will be alright. That was quite clever man of sand! Perhaps we can try again, just without getting sand up my dear brothers nose,” Coyote grinned while his glow faded once Jack was completely stable again.

 

Sandy nodded, looking even more determined than before, shoving up his sleeves in a show once again with a greater flourish.

 

He whirled his hands around his head, gentle sand forming above his head, then in a graceful movement, directed it to land over the space in front of Coyote.

 

The shape returned, looking like a golden shadow that rose out of no where.

 

No details could be made out, but the height and the scrawniness of the figure.

 

Jack looked up, hope welling up once more that he would not be invisible once again.

 

Tooth carefully reached forward to delicately touch Jacks cheek. It worked for a moment until the sand rubbed off and the tips of Toothiana’s fingers went through Jack’s cheek, causing both beings to flinch and jump.

 

Jack felt tears fill his eyes, until they began to fall onto his cheeks, cleaning the sand off, making his face a little more indistinct.

 

As he cried Tooth looked as she was about to panic, North’s face transformed into a protective mask, Sandy looked so sad that his plan failed, and Bunny...

 

He looked over toward Bunny who wasn’t realizing Jack was melting in his arms, causing the floor around him to be covered in water. As Jack cried harder, his body melted faster until there was nothing left, but the water surrounding the Pookas feet.

 

Bunny finally looked down in his arms finding that there was nothing to hold. He quickly looked back up towards Jack, seemingly checking to make sure that Jack was still in the same spot as before.

 

Everyone looked from the floor to the golden shade in the corner.

 

Coyote tilted his head and made a thoughtful sound, “Well now that is… unexpected. We will need to find a way to give him back his body. Unless there is another way, we will just have to see. But we will have to go to our headquarters in order to research these strange happenings.”

 

The argument started up of where the research could take place, until Bunny came forward, lightly touching Jack’s arm to help comfort the crying young man. He removed his paw before it could end up going through Jack’s arm.

 

Bunny spoke up, “The only ones that can see Jackie are these two hoons, and if being seen is what gives Jack here some kind of hope then lets let him go with the tricksters. We can research here at the same time but… he should go to the place where that small hope will stay alive.”

 

The other Guardians shared a look and nodded. “Alvight, you take our boy, but you keep him safe. We cannot lose him. Not again. You make sure ve get our boy back,” North said.

 

 

 

 


	4. The gift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the lateness, but I did warn you... also sorry for the shortness but this chapter just did not want to be written... these next two chapters are also a little more difficult so bare with me. The character Gonzie is a character made by my roommate, she has awesome drawings but I have no idea how to give a link to her Deviant Art page :P
> 
> Any who take a look at the end notes k? I was gonna wait till there were 5 chapters left to ask but I can't help it :P so check out the end stuff to get in on the vote :P
> 
> Comments or suggestions are always welcome!
> 
> Enjoy!

Bunny reached forward, keeping his paw just out of touching range, giving the motion of cupping Jack’s cheek.

 

Bunny’s eyes were filled with a plethora of emotions ranging from relief, confusion, joy and an what he wanted to believe was love. Such warmth in his gaze partly covered by the others, but that warmth helped to appease the horrible tightening feeling in his gut.

 

Jack wished he could lean into the touch, but he did not want to have that horrible gut wrenching feeling come from his very own love. That warmth gave him the courage and resolve to give his artist a parting gift.

 

He smiled up at his artist gratefully, then,deciding on the gift, he made a thick based icicle having a sharp tip with soft spirals along it. Careful little snowflakes were carved along the spirals, each flake depicting a different scene with Jack and Bunny. The biggest snowflakes, (allowing the viewer to not be forced to strain their eyes in order to see the picture inside, each one showing pieces of the card game, all the laughter and joy) bordered the soft words “Forever and Always?”

 

Bunny looked down at the offered gift and looked lost for words, but more importantly lost for an answer with the storm in his eyes intensifying.

 

Jack smiled wistfully at Bunny then turned toward the tricksters.

 

Reynardine approached the small group after he saw Jack’s panicked look, “We shall keep our dear little brother with us in our home until a solution is found. You may come visit whenever you wish. Simply tap Ring around the Rosey on the ground and we shall come fetch you. But for now we will take Jack so that he may have time to... cope with his new situation. You can all celebrate that he is not wholly dead just… untouchable or unseeable. A ghost of the mythical world ironically enough.”

 

The two stood by Jack’s sides with their magic swirling around the three in a confusing array of colors, leaving the Guardians standing confused and emotionally muddled.

 

As soon as the tricksters were standing in the bowels of the Titanic, Jack spun around to his fellow brothers and immediately attempted to speak.

 

He tried to tell them what happened with the Fates and ask what they meant about being wrong about the serpent. Why could he not speak?

 

But all the came out of his silent rant was a cloud of flurries; telling the story that he could not.

 

Jack blinked at the flurries. A slow idea formed in his head, thinking about the time he spent with Sandy… _this should be easy enough._

_The Guardians know how to read the sand. So who is to tell that they would have trouble reading the snowflakes. Just a little nudge with his powers would make them even bigger to be easier to read the messages. I could practice this until they could fix my situation or if they can’t find a solution, it would help them to know what I want to say and where I am. But for now…_

 

Jack concentrated until the flakes were big enough for his brothers to see the story clearly and all the questions he wished to ask.

 

Coyote and Reynardine “read” the tale Jack told and all the questions that piled up through the pictures in the snowflakes creating a small snow drift around Jacks feet.

 

Reynardine put a paw near Jack’s foot in a gesture for him to calm down.

 

The distressed snow spirits mouth snapped shut, his eyes wide with confusion and terror about his future but he looked better than he could have been thanks to the revelation that hit during the flurry story.

 

“Calm down young one. It is alright. We will explain everything, but first you must rest,” Reynardine insisted, gesturing with his head toward the cabin area.

 

“Yes! My dear brother is right! Nothing will come from you expending all your magical energy just to ask things you will have answers for later. All of this must have taken a lot out of you. Go! Shoo! When you awaken all answers will be known!” Coyote swept Jack towards the living area with a sweep of his tail, giving Jack a reassuring grin.

 

Jack gave an exaggerated sigh and an eye roll before making the trek through the once beautiful ship to his assigned room.

 

Thinking about it…

 

_I haven’t been back in a while. Since 68’ actually. I just couldn’t take all the jibes about Bunny. Ironic seeing as I do the same to everyone else in this guild… or is it hypocritical. Anyways, the other tricksters never really liked me anyways, just because I know when a joke has gone too far. All because I stopped one big iceberg “migration” that could have sunken far too many ships. Hmph. All I need in this guild is Rey and Coyote. Plus I have the Guardians now… if we can figure out how to fix this._

 

Jack mulled over his thoughts as he entered the cabin with his own name on the plaque. It was a nice enough space for a sunken ship. There was minimal peeling on the walls, only a few little sea creatures that had made his room their own, and unlike many of his other trickster brethren’s rooms, there was nothing to suggest anyone died in this little room when it went down. The small room still had the air of satisfaction that 1st class rooms had in the ship's voyage. However, only the pieces that were bolted down - the bed, a desk and the lavatory - were still in place.The only place Jack cared about at the time was the bed, soft enough to sink into but cool enough to stay comfortable. He collapsed on top of the blankets, still pushing his worries aside to think of Gonzie, Loki’s secret winter based child. The boy had simply wanted to prove to his father that he could be as powerful as his brothers and sisters. Gonzi simply wanted to scare the people on board the biggest ship after all the hype surrounding it, but instead summoned the iceberg on a night that had the worst conditions for that type of prank. Some how all the conditions were right for the ever so rare cold mirage, causing the water and sky to seem to switch and merge so the iceberg could not be seen until it was far too late to turn away from the danger.Thus the Titanic became the tricksters’ “headquarters” to remind them that a joke is all well and good if timed correctly.

 

Thinking of death….

 

_I died… again…_

  
Which broke the dam that Jack had tried to hold back leading into Jack’s well deserved panic attack while the words _I died again_ repeated over and over for the next good hour while he buried his head into his hands until he finally passed out from sheer exhaustion. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am putting this to a vote.
> 
> I have an idea for these two to possibly have babies. Just gonna come right out with it, why not :P 
> 
> So. 
> 
> Put to a vote.
> 
> Show of hands for who wants a part 3 of An Artists Love titled Snow Drop that wraps stuff up and give our two favorites their very own babies? 
> 
> If not well.... this will be the last one and I will wrap things up as best as I can :)


	5. What do you do with a ghostly Jackie?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again everyone! long note is at the bottom for whoever reads these :)
> 
> Please comment ask questions or whatever you see fit to do :P

Aster stared at the place Jack had been.

 

_Alive, he really is alive. Not lost, just a of the ghost world. It would be Jack that ends up with the oddest, most dramatic sounding title… huh… Jack-o-Sand the Ghost of the Ghost world. What a painting that would make! But… Jack… I saw him die… I **felt** him die.. right in my arms.. after…_

He looked down at his cold paws to the icicle that Jack had given him before leaving.

 

_A question? He knows forever could be possible again if we can cure him. But should I respond? But more than that, why me? He should know more than anyone that we are so different-in species, season,age, tempers. After all that I did to him, he still wants to be with me? His Forever and Always._

_Wait._

 

_That conversation in the Warren, before this disaster. That look… like a scared dingo. He might have been about to confess!! All of this could have been avoided! I could have protected him! I wouldn't have failed him again._

 

He brought the icicle closer to his chest, closing his eyes remembering Jack’s last moment.

 

_It wasn't his last moment! Stop that! You haven’t missed this chance to have a new mate! A new love! It’s not like before when you lost your possible mate to the fearlings because you were scared. But even so, there are too many differences… too many._

 

Aster was jolted out of his thoughts by a meaty hand coming down on his shoulder, “Come old friend. we must go and find ze books that could lead our young friend back to zhis side so we may give hugs! I have many books of magic still in collection. прийти мои друзья прибывают!”

 

The Easter being rolled his eyes, tromping after the impatient Russian, “Ya ya we’re comin’ mate.”

 

North led the group through the workshop’s maze of hallways into a massive room filled with rows upon rows of books, old and new, collected through the years. Aster knew North had collected these books throughout his life, even during his bandit days. Some of these books were more valuable than the crown jewels themselves. Collected from the old and gone places, like old Russian palaces, North often boasted that he had all the diaries and writings of the Romanovs themselves. North also had an entire shelf of magic books from their old friend and North’s teacher, Ombric, cursed scrolls from every country, and far too many “new age” fortune telling books. Aster is sure North collected those as a joke or to annoy anyone trying to find actual magic books.

 

Maybe both.

 

No wait.

 

It is definitely both, the old bastard.

 

Pooka went through row after row until he found a shelf  that reached from the floor to the ceiling and was full to the brim with the oldest books made from any material that was available to the ones who wrote them. He saw that there was a ladder nearby, took one more look at the books, let out a long, drawn out sigh of resignation and looked around for something to carry the books in to bring back to the table everyone was gathering at.

 

When he couldn't find anything, he shrugged and grabbed the first title-less leather bound book. Once he had himself a stack of books, he carried them over to the others, set them and the icicle down, and began to read.

 

* * *

    

 

After a good two hours of reading a large stacks of books, Aster slammed his current one down in frustration and threw his arms up in defeat.

 

“What the heck are we even lookin’ for? There is nothing ‘bout a ghost in the world of spirits, nothin’ about Fates bein’ able to do this and the only known case even close to spirits appearing as ‘ghosts’,” Aster making the quote gestures with his paws, “was the incident with Persephone.”

 

Tooth’s wings fluttered lightly as she made a confused sound, “What incident?”

 

North grimaced, “Am remembering. It waz when you were away tracking people who defiled graves for bones and teeth. Persephone played trick on husband Hades because of her boredom in ze underworld. Her mother, Demeter help Persephone make spirits of dead in Hades realm all disappear. Causing ghost like phenomenon. All still zere, just invisible, until Lord was fed up. He began harvesting more people by help of two personality, Apollo. Ares bothered Apollo enough to cause shift and force Apollo into mean and evil state and so he sent plagues over world instead of happiness and sunlight to spite Ares which is what Hades wanted. We had to step in and passify all involved. But Bunny is right. Jack’s case does not sound like bored joke. It is something more.”

 

Bunny’s claws clicked against the table as he drummed them in agitation. “Maybe the Fates really did do this on purpose.”

 

Tooth piped in, “But what could they have done? As you said, there is nothing in these books that say they can do something like this.”

 

“Maybe Fates can do ghost magic but have never needed use till now,” North stated and stroked his beard in thought. “But why would Fates do such thing? What purpose is zere to turn our Jack into such an oddity? He was not interfering with their work, was he?”

 

The rest of Guardians shrugged and tried to think what Jack could have done to make the Fates so upset.

 

Sandy bounced with a light bulb forming over his head. Once he got the Guardians attention, the bulb changed to new shapes: _“Jack said it himself. According to him, he had dodged the Fates too many times and they were not happy with him!”_

 

The Guardians expressions changed to dawning realization.

 

“Thats right!” Tooth said excitedly. “He did say that just before the battle! The Fates deal with a person when they die. Can anyone think of when Jack should have… died… before now?”

 

Everyone started to think and the atmosphere become sober with such a heavy and sad subject matter.

 

“Maybe he should have died when we went up against Pitch? He did tell me Pitch had gotten a hold of his staff, broke it, and tossed him into a crevice in Antarctica.” Bunny supplied, thinking back to the silly game he and Jack had played before the battle.

 

Toothiana looked alarmed, “He said that? When did that happen?”

 

Bunny’s ears dropped against the back of his head, “After we chased him away, Jack explained what happened when we were in the Warren before the fight. He told me why he was late in coming back and Easter… failed,” Bunny choked out, remembering the feeling of being walked through. “Pitch was messing with him, taunting him, which caused Jackie to be late. He was tricked. Jack told me he had heard a little girl’s voice that sounded familiar, but he didn’t know why. He had an irresistible urge to go find that voice, but when he got to the place the girl’s voice was coming from, he realized too late that it was Pitch’s lair. Jack tried to free baby tooths, but the voice came back along with the urge to follow. That was when Pitch swooped in with Jack’s canister of teeth and taunted him. He tricked him deeper into the labyrinth that was part of his inner lair. By the time Pitch finally let him out with his teeth box, it was too late. He wound up in one of mah tunnels without Baby Tooth and saw all the broken shells around him. We, I mean, I cast him out for being tricked by an evil manipulator.” Aster sighed, looking down at his paws that had almost hit their boy. “After that, he went to Antarctica, Pitch found him and offered him a partnership. Jack refused. So Pitch showed Jack his hostage: Baby Tooth. There was no way the kid would sacrifice Baby Tooth for anything. So he followed Pitch’s demands; he handed over his staff. Pitch refused to give back Baby Tooth, so Baby Tooth stabbed him and Pitch threw her and broke Jack’s staff. Jackie told me it was the worst pain he had ever felt, so bad he blacked out from it. He barely remembered being tossed into the icy crevasse. But in the end he survived by finding his center and repairing his staff.”

 

North stroked his beard, nodding. “Iz possible he should not have been able to live after such traumatic event. Does this mean the ghostness iz on purpose? The Fates did it in revenge for messing with work?”

 

Tooth fluttered out of her chair excitedly, “Then all we have to do is ask the Fates. Maybe we can help fix it if we help balance everything out!”

 

Sandy formed a question mark over his head then flashed a few more signs: _“How do we contact them to ask if it was on purpose?”_

 

The Guardians shoulders dropped at that. Once again they were back to square one.

 

Bunny sighed, stood up and stretched. “I don’t know ‘bout all of ya, but I need a break from all the books and research.” _And to let myself really think about the stuff with Jackie,_ he thought silently, picking up the icicle with the engraving.

 

North nodded in agreement, “That iz good idea. We should all take break, let all sink in, then maybe we figure out what to do.”

 

The group nodded in agreement, rose from their spots and separated into different areas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. I am back for who knows how long. I am so sorry for disappearing for a while there, between school and work and writers block things soo did not go according to plan. BUT!!! I will tell you this: when I finally finished writing this "Chapter" before any editing, it was over 9 pages long so I thought. Hey! Why not break it into 3 chapters so the readers have chapters and I have time!! :D So now you guys have 2 more weeks of chapters until things get iffy again. Yay for changes in plan!! 
> 
> So all of those with pitch forks for my absents you can just, you know, put them in that fire you built with the stake in the middle k? Let it all burn out! :D Thank you everyone for you kindness and patients with me!


	6. Jacks room

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, so I am not sure if this chapter got edited yet or not.... things have been a little nuts on both my side and my editors side. If you see anything that needs to be fixed don't worry it will get fixed as soon as my person has time :) so enjoy!
> 
> Questions comments or even hi's are always welcome :)

Aster headed off to his own room in the guest quarters at the bottom of the workshop.

 

He walked through the crowded halls lost in thought letting his feet take him to the rooms.

 

_Could it really have been the Fates that changed Jack? It is true that he said he evaded death way too many times, which makes sense for why they would go after him, but why the ghost magic? I swear, if it has anything to do with him shapeshifting into a cat and having 9 lives I am going to have to question those girls sanity, or their sense of humor._

 

The Pooka turned off into an empty hallway, slowly making his way to the bedroom doors, passing closets and bathrooms as he went.

 

He looked down to the icicle and shook his head.

 

_I don’ even know where to start thinkin ‘bout this Forever and Always question._

Aster passed the other Guardians guest room doors, each with a depiction of what they guard. Teeth, a line of Z’s….Snowflakes.  Aster stroked the snowflakes, sighing and rested his head against the door.

 

_What am I supposed to do? How do you even answer something like that?_

 

Aster’s paw moved to the door knob, turning it until it clicked open to reveal the room of Jack Frost. Jack’s room looked much earthier than Aster thought a winter spirit would like. There was not any type of furniture in the room but what made the room so full was the tree growing out of the woodwork. The branches wove in and out of the walls as if the earth was merely taking back its rightful space. In a few places, case like structures were formed by the twisting branches in a protective cocoon with twisting branches creating tunnels to connect the rooms.

 

As Aster explored the room he could sense the magic surrounding the inside allowing each of the little cocoon nooks to be big enough for a room of its own while still fitting inside the normal sized guest room. He turned down one of the wood tunnels finding another nook that caught his interest. Inside it was a little nest made of fallen leaves and soft grass with a sprinkling of never melting frost, perfect for a certain snow spirit to sleep peacefully on.

 

_The Frostbite sleeps in a nest? Huh, never thought anyone else liked the feel of a nest._

 

In another nook Aster found something even more shocking than a nest. Pictures of all types; photographs, paintings, sketches, even collages made from torn up leaves, covered the branches until there were only glimpses of the trees that the little dome was made from. The subject of the images ranged from children playing, couples enjoying the snow, simple scenery, and the most recent looking ones depicted the Guardians themselves in various forms of action. Either working or even just talking a playing around.

 

Aster moved into the nook to get a closer look at the pictures, barely registering a crunch under his feet.

 

Each of the paintings were done in such amazing detail they could rival his own.

 

_Cricky, the kid wasn’ kiddin when he said he was an artist._

 

He found a leather bound sketchbook sitting precariously on a small loose branch, but when he reach for it to take a look inside it dropped to the ground.

 

When Aster looked down to pick the sketchbook back up he saw what was crunching under his feet, he finally noticed the ground was littered with crumpled up pieces of paper.

 

After setting the sketchbook on a more stable perch he unfolded one of the pictures and found himself looking at the face of a young girl.

 

Her face was frozen in a look of terror, her mouth open as if to scream, her arms outstretched as if to catch the on looker. The dimples on her face suggested that she laughed more often than not, but there was no other hint of happiness in the sad picture.

 

Aster continued picking up and unfolding page after page, each one depicting the young girl with different expressions; playful, happy, caring, indigent, crying, reluctant, mischievous, angry, curious. Then the pictures of the girl begin to de-age the closer he got to a wooded tunnel. A 10 year old, 9 year old, 8 years, 7 and so on until there was a sketch of young looking arms holding a baby girl so very careful, the loving detail screaming the awe and protectiveness that was felt by the artist.

 

The papers led to another nook holding three easels, only one holding a painting of four people. The little girl smiling with a slight twinkle in her eye, holding the hand of a women standing behind her. The women looked like the young girl, with laugh lines and loving eyes. She was standing next to a man who had his arm wrapped around the woman's waist, he looked so painfully familiar except his hair was brown not white, and he had lines on his face hinting at how hard the man worked. His other hand was on a young mans shoulder, a carbon copy of the man just younger, with laugh lines instead of work showing on his face.

 

Aster stared at the painting in shock. The young boy looked like their own Jack Frost but with brown hair and a healthy living hue to his skin.

 

_Cricky! This is the Snowflakes family! But what made ‘im change so dramatically? Ah should ask him next time ah see ‘im. But I need an answer by then, an answer to his icicle question._

 

Aster growled under his breath in frustration, staring at the family portait, too many thoughts sprinting through his head to form anything coherent.

 

He yanked on his ear, trying to think properly when he finally registered that one of the easels had an empty canvas with paint brushes set up near by along with small jars of different colored paints.

 

_Frostbite musta been plannin somethin. Wonder what…?_

 

Aster looked around and found, just behind the easel, sketches of each of the Guardians. With one picture in the middle of Jack curled up around his staff giving the image a sad loneliness. The rest of the Guardians were similar, with indistinct shapes for the yetis and elves or for the mini tooth fairies, but the indistinct shapes had the same effects; loneliness. Each Guardian looking so alone even if they were surrounded by beings. The last sketch, the one above the rest was one of the group all together playing poker, a copy of Dogs playing poker but with the Guardians instead. This sketch was filled with companionship, the complete opposite feeling of the other sketches.

 

The old Pooka was shocked at the message of the pictures.

 

Jack was showing how they were all the same, even with different personalities and surroundings.

 

Aster touched the lonely Jacks picture gently, feeling that the picture was wrong, that is was missing something.

 

He scrunched up his brows and stepped back to the canvas looking at Jack’s sketch, thinking.

 

The Easter being absentmindedly grabbed a paint brush and began “fixing” the problem by painting an image on the once clean canvas.

 

 


	7. Sandy has loop holes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next two will be short chapters, there just was not much to say in them :)
> 
> Btw does anyone know how to make words gold in AO3? I know some HTML but its not working to change the text color, if anyone can help I would greatly appreciate it, it would make certain other people talking easier to get too.
> 
> Questions comments and anything else is always welcome!

Sandy found him hours later, in front of the canvas painting.

 

The dream weaver floated behind him chuckling silently at the painting of Jack in the golden sand, with ghostly wisps trailing behind him as he flew through the night sky over the Australian outback; a gray blur running along on the ground keeping up with the ghostly boy.

 

He waited until Aster stepped back to look over the painting before he gently sent a string of golden sand to get the rabbits attention.

 

Aster jumped slightly as he noticed Sandy hovering behind him, waving at him with a gentle smile. The rabbit smiled back sheepishly and began cleaning up the brushes and paints while. “I got inspired to paint when I saw the frostbites ideas, but then it became one of my own ideas instead and changed…,” he trailed off, seeing what he painted for the first time.

 

He tilted his head, examining his painting more closely, blushing under his fur for being caught painting in Jack’s little space. As he looked at the painting, it finally hit him how loving the strokes were. He knew he measured each brush stroke with what would make Jack look perfect; to get his eyes perfect with the please see me desperation, to get his hair looking as fluffy as it really was, for his smile to be just right with that little smirk, all-in-all giving the air of a handsome young man using mischief to cover up his loneliness. The fact that Aster felt a surge of possessiveness deep in his heart when he saw his gray blur keeping in line with Jack, set him groaning and holding his head in his paws. “Ah don’ know what to think Sandy. What should I do about the kid?”Sandy patted his shoulder gently, tapping his forehead to Aster’s. Aster felt a warm pull then heard a tinkling laughter.

 

 

_“You should not worry as much, I think you already know that answer if you are making a painting like that.”_

The easter being jumped in surprise at the soft, almost child-like voice speaking in the back of his mind. He huffed out his breath and raised an eyebrow at the golden man. “You haven’ done this in a while Sanderson. Almost thought you forgot how.”

 

 

_“This is important. I will use loopholes when the situation truly needs it, and helping my oldest friend find happiness is most definitely worth cheating the system.”_

 

Aster gave a small smile then turned towards the painting once again. “I have made paintings of each of us, but I have never come close to putting my mark in one to show its mine. This is the only one I had to mark as my own. But it’s not just the painting, its who is in it. I had to claim him Sanderson! I have not wanted to claim anyone since the Golden Age as someone I want to keep. As someone I truly don’t want to lose or give to anyone else. But, hes so young, Sandy! He’s just an ankle bitter himself! A human ankle bitter that should be more of a little brother then something more! But…,”he trailed off looking up at the old star pilot. His eyes shining in confusion, and looking so lost for what he should be feeling.

 

Sandy smiled fondly at his old friend and chuckled,

_“All of that is true. He is young, but so is everyone else you have bedded. Everyone is younger than both you and me. No matter who you choose, they will be younger, and Jack makes you happy! The painting alone should tell you that. You want to keep him safe and you want to keep him for yourself, not give him to anyone else. That is not the feeling of an older sibling. That is the feeling of one that is looking at a potential partner.”_

 

Aster glared at Sandy in agitation as he shot down his arguments one right after another so easily, and yet Aster still could not accept it.

 

“But ‘e’s human!”

 

 

_“Does it really matter? You have bedded others in the past that were human, there was not any complaints then.”_

 

“Tha’s not what I mean,” Aster buried his face in his hands and groaned softly. “Its not like that. Hes human, an attractive one at that. Why would he go for someone who only ever yelled and insulted him?”

 

Sandy smiled softly and patted the silly rabbits shoulder until Aster looked up at him again,

_“Why does anyone do anything when it comes to love?”_

 

Aster sighed again, giving Sandy an accusing look. “You’ve been talkin to Cupid again haven’t ya?”

 

Sandy’s shoulders shook in silent laughter before turning golden eyes back to Aster,

_“What will you do then? Jack knows he can have an answer now. What will it be?”_

 

Aster sighed, rubbing his forehead looking back to the painting. “I don’t know. All I do know is yes, he is not a little brother, that he never was one. That I don’t care if he’s a guy or human but he is still an ankle bitter Sandy. Even in spirit terms!” He groaned, rubbing his neck in irritation. “I think I need a drink…or two”

 

Sandy smiled and waved him off,

_“I will hide this before Jack sees it when he comes back and put a blank canvas up so he will never know.”_

 

Aster nodded his thanks and set off in search of alcohol only to find North had already started.

 

 


	8. Drunken Talks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothin much to say :)
> 
> Comment, questions and everything or anything else is welcomed :)

The Easter rabbit finds the old Cossack in his office, taking long drinks from a large bottle as he gazes up at the ceiling with a thoughtful look. The Cossack jumps slightly as the door closed, looks towards Aster and grins at him sheepishly.

 

“Sometimes is good to have strong drink melt away cobwebz. It helps to look at all angles of complicated situation.” Aster smirks and lowers himself down across from his old friend.

 

“Gotta agree with ya there mate. Pass some over. I got me some obtuse angles to look at.” North raises his eyebrow in surprise, but still passes a bottle to the rabbit.

 

“Dis iz surprize old friend, not that I am complaining but you never drink unless heavy emotions are involved.” Aster nods, popping the top off the bottle and taking a long swig of the beverage, feeling the burn hit immediately and work its way all the way down. He shakes his head before taking another quick swig.

 

“Yeah, it’s definitely some heavy feelings, ya know how bad I am with these things. I mean it feels like yesterday when I was still dressed up in a green robe with those green egg spectacles and building egg trains to help get the Moon Clipper artifact! All logic and reason. I could barely understand any of your jokes and now... now…” Aster struggles to find words and simply shakes his head. “Now I fell in love again after thinkin’ I never would. I don’t know what to do North, I just don’t know anymore.” He buries his face in his paws with a frustrated sigh.

 

Nicholas St. North, the boisterous king of bandits, the only apprentice to the great wizard Ombric and one of the bravest warriors in all fairy tale history was struck speechless.The surprised look on his face would have made anyone laugh, if there was anyone to see it, but only he and Aster were in his office and the poor Pooka was too upset to look up at his old friend.

 

North’s brow furrows in thought, _“Who could have wiggled their way into Bunny’s heart in such an extreme way that it has this silly stoic warrior scholar alien in knots?” His curiosity raised North to encourage Aster to continue to drink, knowing that soon enough he will be so far gone he would spill all of his worries_.

 

After a good four bottles of good ol’ Russian vodka each, Aster’s tongue was loose enough to tell Santa his dilemma. And when he did, North was even more shocked.

 

_“Jack Frost! The boy the silly bunny complained about the most. He had fallen for Jack Frost during a silly card game! And he still tries to deny it! This iz silly rabbit!” North watches his friend with sympathy. The poor rabbit was getting his ears in a twist with his silly worry if going after the winter spirit was right or not. “The silly Pooka need stop overthinking things and just go with gut!”_

 

But instead of voicing his thoughts out loud, North continues to listen to the distressed Pooka even as his Aussie accent thickened and North needed to really concentrate in order to understand what he was saying.

 

“He’s so young North! And so good lookin’! He don’t know how possessive, jealous, protective ah can be with someone ah fall for. ‘T’s already bad enough what with not bein’ able to see ‘im to make sure ‘es safe. But ‘es an ankle biter. Ah can’t. It’s not right!”

 

North’s gaze turns warm, his eyes sparkling with unbridled affection for his old friend. _“Even if he iz being silly, at least he iz thinking of boy.”_

 

“My friend you have it bad! It does not matter if he iz younger! Iz his looks only. You realize he iz older than the legend of Santa Claus, no? You would not question age if it was me, MiM forbid, now would you? No, you would not. Iz only his looks Bunny. It iz obvious you haz the feelings for the boy. So jump in and take risk! Zhere is quote Jack likes he tells all the time.” North’s face scrunches up then clears as he remembers. “Ah, yes! Take chances, make mistakes, get messy! Do so Aster. The results may surprise you in happy way!”

 

Aster scrunches his brows up, then tentatively nods, “Ya given me permission to court ‘im? You act like he’s your kid. Ah think he thinks that way too,” he says thinking back to the sketches. “If ya say its alright, ah may give this a burl. It does show promise and I,  ah want to keep him safe. The thought of him being with anyone else has mah blood boilin’. Ah want to be the one beside him.” “Alright!,” Aster nods more assuredly. “I’ll court ‘im, but first… we gotta get ‘im back.” He slumped down in his chair, already feeling the side effects of too much liquor. North lays a hand on his shoulder.

 

“Go to room, sleep off vodka and we find answer tomorrow. Da?” Aster nods, not bothering to fight off the mothering and shakily gets up to drag his drunk arse to bed.

 

Somewhere between the first staircase to the guest rooms and North’s office, Jack’s yeti friend, Phil, finds Aster leaning against the wall, too nauseous to move.Phil shakes his head, recognizing the symptoms of drunkenness due, in no small part, to North himself. The yeti grabs one of Aster’s arms and helps the drunken rabbit to his room where he quickly forces him into bed; tossing a blanket over the Pookas sprawled form before leaving to finish his job of the night.

 

Aster grumbles a little at the treatment but curls up anyways and quickly drops off to sleep. The next time he awakes was to a pounding head and urgent knocking at the door. He groans, tasting stale alcohol in his mouth and making a face before sitting up in bed, rubbing his face.

 

As the knocking continued he got out of bed and opened the door. Reynardine and Coyote were there looking at him with overly serious expressions; uncommon for the two tricksters. But what they said  made Aster forget all about his discomforts and made his heart drop.

 

“Jack’s missing.”


	9. Wondering

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! RL is kicking me in the rump so sorry if the story will be a little... odd in update times. I have 5 weeks left until I graduate with my associates in Forensic Science (YAY!!!!) so after that the updates will be back to normal.
> 
> Also my editor is having their own RL issues so these chapters will not be edited for a bit, if you want to I would love it if someone will help me out with the chapters till then but thats up to yall. 
> 
> Another thing.... sorry for the cliff again, I should have the next bit ready next week depending on the combination of work and the pile of essays I have to finish before I get the next chapter down >_>
> 
> Anyways, questions comments and editing suggestions are more then welcome! :) Enjoy!
> 
> New Bit: Ok so me and a friend went back and edited. This friend has a different style then me and my usual editor so work with us :)
> 
> And uh... yeah... I am so sorry for this but you guys are gonna have to wait 4 weeks for the next chapter. School is almost done and its crunch time... so yeah sorry guys!!!

When Jack came back to the conscious world he noticed a change of location. He was still laying down but it was not in his bed on the Titanic.

 

There was a bright light coming through his closed eyes causing him to shut them tighter. The air no longer smelled of ocean water and stale ship, but of spring time. And it felt warm instead of the freezing cold of the Atlantic ocean bottom.

 

He spread his fingers out, keeping his eyes closed, instead of cloth and old bedding he felt… grass?

 

Jack opened his eyes only to have to close them again due to the impossibility of what was going on. Several breaths later and a hesitant eye opening did not dispel the illusion. Jack pushed himself into a sitting position to examine his surroundings more thoroughly.

 

He was smack dab in the middle of the Warren.

 

For once, the last place he wanted to be.

 

He still hadn’t thought about all the stuff with his artist. The Forever and Always he murmured, the almost affectionate touch Bunny had done before he left for the Titanic. Jack did not want to deal with this.

 

But maybe...No!

 

Not.

 

Thinking.

 

_What I need to think about is how I got here, and where in the Warren am I?_

 

Jack looked around, searching the horizon for anything familiar. A landmark that could tell him where he was, but nothing stood out

 

He couldn’t even hear the Color River from where he was. The area looked like a smaller version of the main area of eternal spring. However, it felt more abandoned with only two tunnels leading away. Jack thought that maybe there was another tunnel but it was covered in vines growing inwards and weaving into what looked like a grove of trees.There were no egg sentinels or even little googies running about, the only signs of life were the green grass swaying in the breeze and large willows standing in the middle of the cavern’s field.

 

Jack found that odd. _Don’t willows grow near water? Why are they out in the middle of no where?_

 

The frost spirit hesitated for just a moment before walking toward the small group of trees. Slowly he became aware of the sound of water, quietly trickling just inside the little clump of willows.

 

Jack ducked under the hanging branch of the nearest willow, while pushing aside the drooping leaves. Another willow waited there, then another until finally he wandered out into a clearing. A pond stirred gently in the middle of the clearing, and in the middle of the pound was a small island. He glanced around the clearing, realizing the willows made a circle around the pond. It was almost like they were protecting it.

 

Jack tilted his head, wondering what was on the island when he heard soft singing coming from a path on the other side of the clearing.

 

He quickly followed the soft music until he got to the beginning of the clearing. Jack followed the path seeing that it was a wooded tunnel with tree limbs connecting to each other overhead. The frost spirit could see vines above the tree limbs.

 

_This must be what I saw on the outside, this may lead to another part of the Warren._

 

As Jack got closer to the soothing singing, there seemed to be spider webs growing above his head stretching from one tree to another.

 

He began subtly patting his cloths for any wayward spiders that might have slipped their way through the webs and into his clothes until he remembered he was an actual ghost now, spiders and other insects couldn’t (hopefully) touch him.

 

Jack shook his head, dropping his thoughts of creepy crawlys and focusing once more on the melodious voice.language the song was in did not sound like anything Jack had heard in his lifetime.

 

It almost sounded Latin but at the same time it was different, kind of like the words were in an older dialect. Still, no matter what language the song was in, it was beautiful and Jack felt absolutely drawn to it to the point of not realizing he was being hypnotized into following even as he left the viney tunnel into a new rocky passage.

 

The spider webs got thicker and thicker until the tunnel itself was like walking through something from Lord of the Rings. Not that Jack was really paying much attention. Even though something in him was yelling at him to turn around and run, another part of his brain threw out the reference but both of them were shushed by the music that just kept drawing him in closer.

 

When he came out of the webby tunnel and found the source of the singing he froze in horror, finally snapping out of the trance.

 

There, standing in the middle of the cavern, were the three sisters Fate.

 

 


	10. A Wrinkle in.... Fates?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEEEELLLLLOOOoooooOOOO!!!!!
> 
> Guess whos baaaaacccckkkk :D
> 
> I have my Associates in Forensic Science *exaggerated bow* and so now the updates should be back on track! Thank you to all who has stuck with me! I love ya all!!!! <3
> 
> Comments, as always, are welcomed ^_^

Jack Frost was frozen at the entrance to the new cavern, simply staring at the sisters as the middle sister stopped singing. Each one slowly turned one by one to look at him. The youngest Fate stepped forward causing Jack to take a step back in his nervousness. The little one smiled at the scared spirit, and as she opened her mouth to speak, Jack flinched expecting a harsh voice, but instead he got something completely unexpected. The youngest Fate’s voice was a soothing, sweet childs voice, but what she said was what cause the real shock.

 

In that sweet soothing tone she said, “We are sorry, Jack Frost. This outcome was not predicted.”

 

Jack was reeling from shock at the apology. He opened his mouth to begin shouting or at least protesting about the unfairness of everything, but like before, nothing came out. He began getting more frustrated, and as his temper rose, the temperature dropped until snowflakes began to form around him. The snowflakes were not works of art this time. However, these were the snowflakes that could turn to sleet and hail with just a little environment adjustment.

 

Jack clenched his jaw shut. shook his head in frustration and denial of their apology. He thought to himself, _“They purposely set out to kill me, why would they want to apologize? Are they here to make sure I die completely this time?”_

 

The youngest Fate shook her head, “No, Jack we are not here to kill you. We are here to correct our mistake and put you back to normal.”

 

Jack jumped, taking a small step back in shock, _“Can they hear me think?”_

 

The middle Fate smiled and simply nodded once. The winter spirit stood there shocked for a moment more before shaking himself from his revere. He glared at all three of them before yelling in his head, _“Come to fix it? Why did you kill me in the first place? How did you not know something like this would happen? Why would you do something like this to me? I did not do anything to you!  I’m invisible to everyone now! If this can’t be fixed I’ll…”_ Jack froze in horror, the steady downfall of snowflakes freezing mid air as he realized what would happen. _“I would disappear if no one believes in me…”_ His mind trailed off, looking down at his hands while the real implications finally actually sank in.

 

_“I really will disappear won’t I? If none of the kids can see me, they won’t believe in me. I’ll be nothing. Instead of dying outright to a needle, I’ll end up slowly fading into nothing. A slow agonizing death. Knowing the Guardians, they would try everything they can to save me, wearing themselves down! But what if they see me as a burden and give up on me? I’ll die alone and unwanted. I don’t want that! I want to die knowing someone cared at least! Maybe… Maybe it would be better if I left now? I know a good volcano that’ll do the trick. It’ll be quick, easy, and not very painful. I already planned everything out so long ago before I met Bunny. I know how to do it. Maybe---”_ Jack was cut off from his spiraling thoughts when the middle Fate enveloped him in a hug with the youngest latching onto one of his legs.

 

“Don’t do it! We like you!” The youngest wailed, sounding more like a true child than any sort of all powerful entity.

 

The middle Fate nodded against the top of his head, “Yes, yes, you stop those thoughts right now! We simply needed to correct the flow of the world before something bad happened! We knew you would be ok. Your trickster soul is a cat! You have 9 lives! Weeeellll now you have 8, but still! We knew you would be ok, we just didn’t know this would happen, but will help you come back but you havetopromisenottothinklikethat!!” The middle Fate was panting by the end of her tirade of words and Jack looked confused, lost, pleading and so many other emotions, he stared at the oldest, hoping for an explanation. The oldest Fate gave an annoyed eye roll and reached over to the two other sisters to pluck them off the poor winter spirit.

 

“We are to act with dignity, not with human whimsy.” The oldest’s voice was a powerful, grave sounding voice that had the dignity and power that one would expect from a Fate. “We are here to correct a wrong, not to make friends.”

 

The youngest Fate gave an undignified whine, “But, sister! We want Jack Frost as a friend! We don’t have fun doing this job any more! We wanna have fun again!”

 

The middle Fate was nodding with a look of a wise being which was countered by her eyes which sparkled with mischief, crossed her arms. “She’s right, sister. If we do not enjoy our job, we will break rules in order to enjoy it and end up being forced to fade away. You know Death does not like it when we mess with the rules.” She turned to Jack and addressed him with a smile, “Death is such a sweetheart, but they take their job seriously. They also do not have gender. What ever form will help ease the passing, is the form Death takes.”

 

The eldest glared at the middle sister, “That may be true, however we are also part of the life circle where we can dictate Death’s life as well! Whether they are replaced or not!” By the end of the sentence, her voice was echoed across the cavern and Jack covered his ears to block out the booming sounds.

 

The oldest and middle Fate began to argue in many different languages, shooting back and forth what sounded like insults. Jack was stunned into silence and simply watched the exchange until the youngest Fate took his hand, startling him out of his stupor. He looked down to the smiling girl who was tugging on his hand until he began to stumble after her.

 

She silently led him down a new tunnel until they came upon the main cavern of the Warren. Jack visibly relaxed in the new environment, causing the youngest Fate to giggle softly. Jack glanced down and blushed slightly at the knowing look the Fate was giving him.

 

_“S-so why are you all so…”_ Jack struggled to find the proper word, something not insulting, _“...ordinary?”_

 

The youngest Fate laughed joyfully, enough so to stir Jack’s center, and replied, “Well if we do not adapt, we will end up fading. Atropos is right though, if we do not find joy in our job any longer, we fade back into the order of the world and lose ourselves. We lose what makes us individuals. When we are correcting the balance, we are as you saw us, emotionless, void of any feelings so that we do our job without favoring anyone. Later we can regret or have any other emotion, like for you, we knew you would be ok but something went wrong. We still do not know what. You were unbalancing the world by avoiding us and so we needed to end the first life. We knew you had many lives left, but we did not foresee this outcome. Which means something interfered with our magic causing you to be this way. But I am getting off track.” The youngest waved her hand as if shooing away a fly, or in this case the stray thoughts. “Things like this that we can decide to help people is what makes us us. Those two fighting? They always find something to fight about because that is how they are. I get along with both of them, they fight, all together we are sisters. We are, Clotho, the oldest, Atropos, the middle, and myself, Lachesis, the youngest. The Greek’s gave us names, thus giving us personalities. We are our own people, but if we do not find joy in what we do, we lose that, we become just another thing of the world. Like thunderstorms. Did you know there were spirits that controlled those? But they began fading one by one because they lost the joy in their job. Why do you think you got the cat as an inner trickster soul? It was not just because of your personality, but because you are one of the most important spirits with your center. Just as the Easter Bunny is of Spring and Life, you are of the Joy of life. Without you, many of the old spirits, such as us, sisters of Fate and even Death itself, will lose themselves. None of us will be us. We will just simply be natural orders of the universe. That is why the older spirits like you. I am afraid you always flitted away before they could catch up to you to talk. The Native American spirits like you very much. There are other tricksters that do like you and would like to get to know you, but the other crueler tricksters are jealous of all the attention you are getting from the more powerful spirits and so make sure the other tricksters stay away.”

 

The youngest, Lach something or other glared at the wall with crossed arms, scowling while thinking of the other jealous tricksters. Then she perked back up and told Jack, “But you really should talk to them, even the old Asgardian gods like you. Loki just has a funny way of showing it. Reynardine and Coyote like you a lot too more than anyone they have ever really met! Thinking about it I do not think they know that it is your center that is the reason that they have not faded away as others before them have. There were other spirits that founded the trickster society, Coyote and Reynardine just took it over. In fact!” Lachoness or whatever her name was clapped her hands together jumping up and down in excitement, her eyes dancing in joy, “They were about to fade away before you came into this world, when you came all of a sudden there was this big burst of Joy going throughout all the spirits, giving us a big power boost. It wasn’t until those two found you that we learned why it happened.  You keep us alive love, and so we do the same for you as best we can. If it helps to keep your center glowing than us older spirits will do what we can to help. Everyone is working on why this has happened and how to help you.” The child touched his arm lightly, smiling softly. “We will fix this, I promise. It would be too lonely if the only people who could touch you are us, Death and your two friends if they cross worlds. We will fix you. We may not have showed it in the past but we all do care deeply for you. I am sorry we were not there for you before. I am sorry we did not try harder to get to you.”

 

Lachie something or other touched Jack’s cheek gently, and smiled softly. “It was Death that sensed when you wanted to kill yourself. They hurried to the tricksters to tell them your location so you would have a reason not to do it. In our own ways we have always looked out for you and wanted you as our friend.”

 

Jack nodded, crying softly, so overwhelmed by the new information of his existence.

 

_“So then I really am wanted, and people really did want to know me they just couldn’t? So it’s not just the Guardians? Even if they don’t want me someone will? And Lachie or Lachness… uh, I really need to give you more memorable names, does that mean you guys too? The three of you want to be friends too? You really mean it when you said that?”_ Jack thought, getting excited at the idea of gaining many more friends.

 

The little one smiled and nodded. Then chuckling and with a twinkle in her eye grinned at him and asked, “Now about that earlier thought, we would love if you gave us nicknames. What were you thinking about?”

 

Jack looked at her thoughtfully then chuckled. _“I read this book once, it was a very good one and you three remind me of the women in it. So. Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Witch.”_

 

The youngest laughed and laughed until tears were streaming down her face. When she finally calmed down enough she nodded and clapped happily. “I will absolutely take the name Mrs. Whatsit.” She took Jack’s hand again with a grin, and Jack smiled down at her knowing everything was going to be alright.

 

“I’ll take Mrs. Who!”

 

The two looked over back to the entrance where the other two Fates were entering from. The middle one, now Mrs. Who, was grinning happily, rubbing her hands together.

 

The oldest nodded, “And I shall take Mrs. Witch. I always did like that character the most in the books.”

 

Jack grinned, looking down at the little Mrs. Whatsit who was smiling up at him in return. He tilted his head and got a crazy idea. A terrible wonderful, risky idea.

 

He took his hand out of Mrs. Whatsit’s and quickly formed a snowball, which he flung at Mrs. Who and watched it splatter over her face. He scampered a safe distance away and grinned, turning around to wait for a reaction.

 

 


	11. Fun and Games

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be a long one so bare with me.
> 
> To those of you who didn't read the other work I was doing, the reason I didn't work on this one is because I have been suffering from depression. The other story was something to help me let it out and on top of that I got some help. The chapters may be faster or, slower depending if the therapy will help me. But I really have been just too... upset to write a happy chapter... >_> Jack kept dying for real and I am positive no one wants that. So. Anyways, I have a list of people I have to thank, because thanks to them I am in a small pocket of happiness. It's truly thanks to these guys that I could write this chapter:
> 
> Kira494  
> lcblip  
> Kooshy  
> magneta  
> Zhuusox
> 
> Those people gave me support when I really needed it, even in small ways. Thank you so much for being there for a complete stranger, you guys are the best!
> 
> Now without further adieu, here's your chapter I hope you like it :)

Mrs. Who’s whole posture went stiff, the very air around her beginning to shimmer. An air of despair and utter destruction fell upon the Warren. A rumble of thunder was heard behind Jack who turned around nervously to find where the sound came from.

He was so sure he signed his death warrant. All he could think was that Mrs. Whatsit was wrong, they were not his friends and he was about to die for real this time. He could see his life pass before his eyes. The white tunnel with his little sister waving at him to the other side --- SPLAT!

He was hit in the back of the head with what felt to be a water balloon.

When Jack raised his hand to the back of his head, he felt a gooey wetness. But even more surprising was when he pulled his hand to see what had hit him; his hand was rainbow coloured. Jack put two and two together and realized she had thrown a balloon filled with water from the colour river!

His eyes widened in shock. Then he raised his head to stare in shock at the Fate. Mrs. Who gave one brief grin before disappearing with the other two sisters following suit.

Jack felt like he would burst with mischievous joy. He immediately ran to the best cover area in the Warren only to find a satchel full of water balloons that sloshed with the water from the colour river. He grinned, recognizing the challenge declaration and scooped up the satchel. Jack looked around, gave one final grin and took off into the Warren.

As much time as he spent here he knew where all the best hiding places were. He hid in a small crevice that overlooked a good chunk of the Warren and waited. He didn’t move, letting the natural shadows of the Warren keep him invisible just like his Dad had taught him.Hide and seek was really a game of hunting other humans, just without the killing part.

Jack spotted Mrs. Whatsit sneaking through the colouring plants and he held back a grin so she could not see him. He measured the distance in his head between them and quickly flung the balloon straight at Mrs. Whatsit. As soon as the projectile was launched he froze again, trying not to be seen.

He watched as the balloon burst on Mrs. Whatsits shoulder causing her to yelp in surprise. Mrs. Witch popped up and chucked a balloon at Mrs. Whatsit as well, just as a balloon hit her from behind with a grinning Mrs. Who as the attacker.

Now the game was really on.

❄❅❆☃❄❅❆☃❄❅❆☃❄❅❆☃❄❅❆☃❄❅❆☃❄❅❆☃❄❅❆☃❄❅❆☃

After a good day of a way toned down version of the Hunger Games, Mrs. Who turned out victorious. ONLY because she was the only one that did not fall into the colour river. The other three players were not as lucky.

Mrs. Whatsit and Mrs. Who were happily bickering about who was the tackiest in colour while Jack sat on a rock, grinning from ear to ear.

Mrs. Who smiled conspiringly as Jack glowed softly as his center reacted to all the Joy he had been part of. Now, even without the paint, others would at least be able to see something similar to a floating mist.

However, something in the air shifted above and three heads shot up.

Mrs. Who smiled sadly at Jack, “I am afraid my dear that we must depart, the master of this realm would not be too keen to see us here until after things are explained. However, we can make it easier on you to speak to others.” She held out her hand and revealed a small opaque crystal on a chain, the power from within caused it to glow a very faint, white light.

“This crystal will allow you to use your snowflakes without getting tired. They will form much in the same way as Lord Sanderson’s. With all the practice your Guardians have had, they should be able to understand you.” Mrs. Whatsit smiled, taking the crystal from her sister’s hand and as she spoke, she slipped it around Jack’s neck.

Jack touched it and smiled up at the girls happily, _“Thank you. Will we be able to play again like we did? I could show you how to build the best snowman, or how to skate or--”_

__

Mrs. Witch put a hand on his shoulder, smiling gently. “Yes we would love to play again, but for now you need to reassure a certain Pooka before he tries to do something foolish, like attempting to hunt us.” Jack nodded, determined to keep all his friends safe. The Fates smiled, hugged him, then disappeared just as Jack felt the magical shift in the Warren grow stronger.

~~~~~~~~~~ Meanwhile back at the Hall of Justice-- I mean the North Pole~~~~~~~

The Guardians were gathered in one of the many meeting rooms located throughout the Pole. The group had spent the entire day searching for their boy without any luck. Now they were attempting to try to start from the beginning. (It’s a very good place to start after all.)

Aster paced next to the windows, growing more agitated the longer they waited. The longer they were here chatting with these two yobo’s was another moment that his Snowflake could be hurting in some horrible way. If someone lays a hand on his mate they would pay! Aster scowled again, looking about the room to see what everyone else was doing, trying to find some way to calm himself down.

Sandy was on his cloud, his sands shifting in an anxious way across the room from him. Tooth and North were questioning Reynardine and Coyote about what happened after they left and when they found Jack missing.

Aster listened while the two tricksters explain that as soon as they got to the ship, Jack left to go to his room and after that they didn’t see him again. They went to go check on them when they felt a surge of magic and could smell something like Ozone.

Aster interrupted then, “Ozone, like after a lightning strike?” Rey looked over, tilting his head in consideration, then nodded.

“Yes, that sounds about right.”

A look of realization crossed over everyone's faces while Aster’s face hardened.  _Oh those little witches would pay if they hurt him again!_

Aster took out his boomerang and twirled it around, feeding a little bit of his agitated magic into his Warren before he did something regretful, like attack the tricksters or even go after the Fates themselves.

“You zhink it could have been ze Fates again? Zhey go after him again after cauzing him to become invisible?” North’s booming voice continued to get more angry as he spoke.

“Was there anything else? Could you sense any other magic or was there any smells? Anything you could tell us that we can use to find him?” Aster questioned as he stepped closer to the brothers. Both looked at each other curiously.

“The only other thing we got from Jack’s room was the lingering scent of spring, but we thought that maybe that was because you were near him.” Coyote tilted his head considering. “Though if they teleported him…”

Aster eyes widened, tapped the floor and raced down the tunnel before any of his friends could follow or stop him. He raced into the main cavern, ready to start searching, only to be hit in the face by a balloon full of water from his very own river of paint. As soon as he cleared his eyes of the liquid, he looked over to where the balloon came from, and there stood Jack Frost. Visible only because he was soaked with all the colour river paint.

He stood next to the river with a satchel hanging across his body, with another balloon in his hand. Jack Frost was grinning with such intense Joy that Aster felt as though he was burning from the warmth of it.

El-Ahrairah, the kid is beautiful.

 

Then an even bigger realization hit him. Aster stared and gently, whispered with hope, “Jack, I can see you.”

****  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe and next chapter shall have the fluffs if that tiny happy voice in my head has anything to say about it.


	12. So much cuteness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys. Guys. Guys. That happy voice didn't leave. I swear I was puking rainbows and butterflies while I wrote this chapter. And it just gets more adorable from here. Just wait till next Monday guys. Holy crud. :D
> 
> Questions comments and anything else is welcome!

Jack’s eyes widened and his Hope rose as he heard Bunny’s excitement at being able to see him.

 

He pushed the hope that feelings were returned to the side in favor of being his cheeky little self.

 

The frost spirit gave one of his cocky smirks to mask any nervousness and signed with his snowflakes that it was most like due to all the paint he was covered in that caused him to be visible.

 

Unfortunately, Jack had no idea how to make snow sarcastic, so he just had to hope his expression and the way the snow shifted got his point across.

 

From the way Bunny’s expression changed from wondering to leveling Jack with a slight Look showed that he got the sarcasm and was unimpressed by it.

 

Jack grinned mischievously, then his expression softened and, taking a huge risk (in his mind at least) signed with his snowflakes, _“I missed you.”_

 

Bunny blinked, startled by the boldness then broke out into a genuine smile.

 

“Ah missed you too Snowflake.”

 

Jack’s Hope soared, causing him to practically glow with the intensity of it.

 

They both stood there watching each other and smiling like a couple of awkward dorks for what seemed like hours but was in reality only five minutes before Aster shook himself out of it and cleared his throat.

 

“Listen, Snowflake ah decided something an’ ah need ya to hear me out.”

 

Jack tilted his head, waving his hand to indicate for Bunny to continue, curious at the serious change of mood.

 

Bunny took a deep breath in then straightened to his full height.

 

“Ah am formally askin you, Jack Frost, ta allow me to court you. Ta show you how good of a mate ah can make and to show ya how much ah truly care about ya. Ah want to give you gifts, and spend time spoiling you the way you deserve to be. Ah want ta hold ya close and being your good morning and good night. Ah want to show everyone else that you are mine and no one elses. Ah couldn’t stand the thought of you bein anyone else’s. You are mine. Just as I am yours.”

 

At that Bunny brought out the icicle that Jack gave to him as a question and finally giving him an answer.

 

“If ya are still wantin, ah want ya as my Forever and Always.”

 

Jack couldn’t understand why he could not see Bunny clearly until he felt a tear hit his hand, smearing the paint there slightly.

 

Jack’s Hope and Joy mingled and mixed until he really did glow with their intensity.

 

Even when he was startled by the glow and got slightly distracted, it did not fade.

 

It simply spread from his chest to the rest of his body until he was covered in a green and light blue light.

 

Bunny looked concerned and reached forward for him to try and help in whatever way he could.

 

Jack flinched, waiting for the pain that went along with being walked through.

 

But it never came.

 

Both Jack and Bunny stared in amazement as Bunny’s paw stayed on Jack’s shoulder for a minute before beginning to sink in.

 

Bunny immediately snapped his hand back to himself so that he could not hurt his boy, but the Hope they both felt stayed strong.

 

Was it possible that Jack was gaining his body back already?

 

The glow faded leaving Jack simply just a little more tangible than before but the fact that he was able to be touched at all was progress which meant there was more Hope than there had been before.

 

Bunny grinned, “We gotta get back ta the Pole, North would most likely know how to fix this or get that glow back if it has anything to do with magic. He still has most of Ombric’s books, one of them has got to have an answer somewhere! Now that something more has happened we can narrow the search. We can find what we need ta do ta get your body back! Come on!” He took off into the tunnel leading to the North Pole as fast as he could, knowing Jack would follow.

 

Jack grinned, giving a silent whoop before following after Bunny.

 

If he can get his body back he could play with The Fates more, and meet all those other people they talked about.

 

He may even be able to cuddle with Bunny at some point in the courtship--

 

Realization struck and he smacked himself on the forehead.

 

Jack shot in front of Bunny and waved his arms at him to stop.

 

Bunny skidded to a halt with a confused look, “Why are ya wantin ta stop mate? Don’t ya want ta get ya body back?”

 

The frostling nodded but held up a single finger indicating to wait.

 

He took a deep breath, then began carefully circling Bunny in the way the Pooka had said his people courted during that card game that felt so long ago.

 

Bunny stiffened as his eyes followed Jack’s every movement.

 

Jack smiled shyly when he completed the circle and said in his flakes “ _I accept the courtship, and I will court you as well. We will make this bond as deep as any bond of love could be. I will always stay with you no matter what. I will protect you through thick and thin. I will never hurt you intentionally. I will make sure that others know that you are mine. Just as I am yours.”_

 

Bunny smiled at Jack tenderly, happiness dancing in his eyes as he gathered Jack in for a very quick hug and nuzzle.

 

He let go before he could start going through the young mans body but even after Bunny backed away Jack could still feel the warmth from the embrace.

 

“Before we go then, ah want ya ta know ya can call me by me name, Aster. Ah know ya can’t speak but you will be able to eventually, ah _will_ make sure of that, and ah want ya ta know ya can call me Aster,” Bunny-- Aster said, smiling gently with eyes filling with a deep warm emotion.

 

Jack smiled happily back then had a brilliant idea and formed an aster in his snowflakes, grinning coyly before stepping forward to hug his Aster and tuck his head under the Pooka’s chin, marking himself with his beloved's scent. He quickly stepped back before he could get hurt, looking up to see Aster’s expression of pure Joy and matching it with his own.

 

Both smiled dreamily at each other for a moment before snapping back out of it to quickly make their way to the North Pole.

 

 


	13. Bit Protecive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those that read the updates of Am I a Tool then just know I wrote this chapter where I said I was at. So this may be a little sloppy if you spot mistakes or want to edit let me know and you can absolutely do so.
> 
> Thank you so much, all of you for the support.
> 
> To those who know, you know how big of a thank you that really truly is.

As the two Guardians raced towards the Pole Bun-- _Aster_ threw out theories of what could be happening that allowed Jack to be seen.

 

“Maybe whatever this is, is on some kind of timer and the magic is wearing off. Hmm, no if that was the case it wouldn’t be so gradual and… flashy."

 

They rounded a corner, Aster bouncing off the earthen walls, not missing a beat, "Or it could be that the Fates just got bored and are messing with whatever magic those bitches attached to ya--"

 

A strong gust of wind interrupted Aster as he spoke causing him to fumble in his run.

 

Once he came to a stop in his tumble, he jumped back up and looked at Jack in confusion, “What was that for mate?”.

 

Jack’s expression was dark, bordering on anger.

 

He showered snowflakes that have an icy bite to the flakes, telling Bunny that under no uncertain circumstances that he can stop talking bad about the Fates, that they weren't bad at all. ❄ _The Fates, are really fun when they are not working. They do pranks just as much as me! They also didn’t mean for this to happen! They said that cause my trickster spirit is a cat I had 9 lives, they knew I would come back! They are not bad people, they are my friends! Please don’t speak bad about them!_ ❄

 

Aster stared at Jack with a mixture of shock and confusion.

 

Both beings stayed facing each other in the tunnels, Aster staring at Jack and Jack of his shock and asked in a voice filled with utter confusion, “When the bloody hell did you become friends with them?”

 

Jack’s posture lost some of it’s anger, his expression changing to a thoughtful look.

 

He tilted his head to the side, then gestured over his head forming his snowflakes to say ❄ _That is very true, well they took me from the Titanic into the Warren and explained everything to me. They are a balance and because I have been avoiding death for so long that the balance was thrown off. If they hadn’t taken my first life the world could have fallen into disrepair. But they knew that my soul was a cat with 9 lives and so I would end up coming back. After I understood that it had to have been done, I was perfectly fine with what they did. Then they showed me how much fun they could be and we all became friends. Then they left cause I guess they knew you were coming back and you were still mad at them for what they had done. So that’s the whole story._ ❄

 

Aster stared at Jack with a gobsmacked expression, completely shocked by Jack’s story.

 

Finally he found his voice again and stammered out, “Y-you made friends with some of the most powerful beings in existence? You just don’t do things by half do you Snowflake?”

 

Jack grinned and laughed silently, nodding in agreement.

 

Aster chuckled and shook his head, “Well before there are anymore huge surprises let’s get to the Pole to see how to fix ya, eh?”

 

They both gave each other bright grins and continued on their way to racing off to the pole.   

  
  


As soon as they got to the workshop both were bombarded with questions.

 

“What happened?!”

 

“Vhere did you go?!”

 

“Where did you find Jack?”

 

“Are you alright?!”

 

“Why do you smell like Aster?”

 

The last question was from Reynardine as he sniffed at Jack.

 

Coyote gave a coy look as he stepped forward to take a whiff as well.

 

“My brother is right! You do smell like him! You smell as if you were in his home for a while there my dear little brother. What could you have been up to?” Coyote cackled as Jack blushed furiously and looked away shyly.

 

Bunny stepped between Jack and the hoard of people. “He was in mah home and he smells of me cause ah gave him a slight scent mark. Ah don’t want anyone takin away or touchin mah Mate.”

 

Everyone in the room was stunned silent for a heartbeat before bursting out into a cacophony of happiness and congratulations.

 

Jack stared up at Bunny with wide eyes that suddenly started to glow right after North clapped him on the shoulder, forgetting for the moment that people went through Jack before.

 

Both tricksters blinked in amazement as the glow intensified and spread to the rest of Jack’s body until there was nothing left not covered in the glow. The brothers almost smacked themselves for not realizing it earlier. That’s how to cure Jack! But it would not work unless it happened naturally and so they held their tongues and watched the Guardians fuss over their boy.

 

The dark blue tinged magic intensified for a moment then in one big flash that blinded everyone went away leaving a much more visible Jack Frost.

 

The edges of his body were still foggy but everyone could see details of Jack’s face, including the frosty blush painting his cheeks.

 

Everyone was stunned into silence until Aster broke it by wrapping Jack up in a tight embrace and grinning like a fool. The rest of the Guardians followed up with surprised shouts and each wanting to touch Jack just to feel that he was whole.

 

But that happiness couldn’t last, not when the Guardian of Joy was not entirely fixed.

 

Right when all the Guardians were touching Jack in one way or another, in an instant they all fell through Jack and into each other effectively trapping the frost spirit in the middle of their bundle, passing through each person and receiving the painful jolts as well.

 

By the time the Guardians were finally able to untangle themselves from each other, Jack was a sobbing mess on the floor, his whole body twitching in pain.

 

The Guardians struggled to stand up all while watching Jack worriedly and with varying amounts of concerned questions.

 

Aster sank down once more and slowly crawled over to Jack, snuffling at his hair gently without touching the hurting spirit.

 

The last thing Jack heard before passing out was Aster soothing voice.  

  
“Snowflake? Breath Okay? Please just breath, it’ll be alright. We’ll fix you so you won’t be in pain anymore. We will find a way to fix you, love. just hold on.”


	14. Dead, I am not

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM NOT DEAD!!!! hey guys! Life happened. Like lost my job, depression got bad again, and just life. Oh and I fell down a hole and found the Undertale fandom and its possible I may be writing fics for that fandom at some point. 
> 
> Anyways! To those who come back and read this, thank you soooo much for sticking with me!! For those who are new welcome! I am afraid I'm a terrible author that takes a while to update. Sorry for that loves!

Jack woke up slowly, bit by bit, feeling each of his nerves one at a time until he could finally begin to open his eyes. 

It felt as though he was unfreezing himself from some sort of frozen coma. Each of his limbs so stiff and unyielding. 

I feel like Captain America… not a fun feeling.

He heard a soft giggle off to the right of him, then a hand carding through his hair.

“That's not far off from what happened, frost child.” A familiar gravelly voice spoke.

Jack slowly turned his head toward the voice, seeing the Fates standing next to the bed.

Mrs. Whatsit was next to a table with a pitcher of water, which she was pouring into a cup that had a straw attached.

Mrs. Who was the one carding her fingers through Jack's hair, breaking off the frost and icicles that had formed.

Mrs. Witch stood tall and regal at the base of the bed continuing to speak, “when the Guardians foolishly tried to hug you, forcing their cores into your mending one, it caused your entire being to freeze and reject anything and everything that could harm you more. Being in the man of Wonders domain began to harm your core more than help it. I am afraid to say you have been out for a long while.”

Jack's eyes became wide with shock, how long is a long time?

Mrs. Who's hand cupped his cheek comfortingly, “it's been several months my dear, there are many many beings who are very upset and worried about you.”

“Mother nature is one!” The youngest pipped up, hopping onto the end of the bed and swinging her legs like a child, while holding out the cup for Jack to take a few sips from. “And the trickster's! And ooooh you should have seen Hope!! Man was he super duper upset when we sealed this room off from everyone!! So much panic! They even called on those other ones!! Boy are they panicky. Fortunately they finally figured out how to help you get all fixed up!.”

Jack looked to Mrs. Witch with a completely lost expression, silently begging for a better explanation.

Mrs. Witch gave a subtle nod and stepped forward to put a calming hand on Mrs. Whatsit’s shoulder, pulling her and the cup of water away from the child, “What she is trying to say is that all of your friends were very worried, so worried that Ombric, Katherine, and Nightlight were called upon in order to try to help you the best they all can. Thanks to everyone’s efforts they figured out that you have lost each of their aspects; Knowledge, Bravery, Storytelling ,Wonder, Memories, Dreams, Hope and even Joy. Fortunately, you gained Hope before your soul could be used for a power source, now they are out there trying to find a way to get these aspects back in you. You have already gained Hope, Joy and Wonder back, now the rest will be needed. However, how you obtain them is the problem they are attempting to solve instead of simply letting time do its job.” She began muttering darkly about ‘That old wanna be time mage messing with things he has no business in’.

The other two Fates giggled both smiling warmly at Jack. Mrs. Who bent down and kissed his forehead before backing up, “Now that you are awake and understand what is wrong with you and what needs to be done, we shall take our leave. I am afraid there is another place we are needing to be. We will be back to make sure your friends are not harming you again. Stay safe little child of Joy.”

The Fates slowly faded from sight and the aura around the room dissipated. 

As soon as it did dream sand rushed quickly into the room from under the door, surrounding Jack in a protective embrace.

He smiled weakly at the stardust before falling back into the oblivion of sleep, missing the Guardians bursting into the room fully prepared to fight.

As soon as they noticed Jack was asleep they all lowered their weapons, looking completely relieved to see Jack safe.

Aster quietly hopped over to sniff at his snowflake to truly reassure himself that he was ok.

He smiled, crouching down next to the bed just watching the young man sleep.

North came over, putting a warm hand on Aster’s shoulder. 

“Now that ve have our Jack back, ve can put our plan into action.”


End file.
